1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 338 Disheng Falls into the Water
Jinggang was originally named Lujiang. During the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing stationed his troops here when he was fighting against Xiao Xian. Because he never disturbed the people, the local people remembered Li Jing's kindness. In order to commemorate Li Jing, later generations changed Lujiang to Jinggang.

As expected, Lu Qintong's regiment and a half of soldiers from the Northern Palace had not yet launched an attack on Jinggang, but the field artillery company had fired a few shots at Jinggang.

Upon hearing the cannon fire, the Qing troops and local militia defending Jinggang scattered and fled, abandoning the city.

Seeing that more than 2,000 Green Standard Army soldiers and militiamen in Jinggang had scattered, Huang Dabiao led nearly 200 dragon cavalrymen from the first company of the training battalion in pursuit, killing and capturing more than 380 Qing soldiers and returning victorious.

Less than an hour after the Northern Army arrived at Jinggang, Jinggang was declared to have changed hands.

Jinggang is the largest river port on the lower reaches of the Xiangjiang River. It is only 70 or 80 miles away from Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, by waterway. Moreover, the area has a thriving trade and a shipyard.

Such a valuable place must be given special attention. Peng Gang intends to occupy Jinggang for a long time and turn it into a logistics transit station on the Xiangjiang River. He orders the troops stationed in Jinggang to destroy the deadlock that blocks the river, while preserving the live lock and other river port facilities.

The main force of the Northern Palace, which had set out on the expedition, entered Jinggang and rested briefly before continuing its advance.

While they were resting, they heard scouts ahead reporting that a Qing navy was sailing down the Xiang River toward Jinggang, numbering at least five or six thousand.

The Hunan Qing army's Green Standard Army navy had long been wiped out in Pianshan, Jiang Zhongyuan's Chu army did not have a dedicated navy, and Wulantai's Guangfu army was purely a land force.

At present, the only naval force that Hunan can spare is probably Zeng Guofan's Xiang Army, which numbers over a thousand.

According to reports from the scouts at the front, the Xiang Army came in a grand and imposing manner.

"It's unbelievable. Our army has won one victory after another, even wiping out the Chu army and Zhengan soldiers in the Yuezhou camp. Yet Zeng Guofan still dares to lead his several thousand Hunan soldiers to charge at us in a grand manner. Do Zeng Guofan and his men think that their local militia are superior to Xiang Rong and Deng Shaoliang's Chu army and Zhengan soldiers?"

Luo Dagang found it utterly unbelievable that Xiang Yong would forcefully deliver the goods.

Luo Dagang was a relatively pure general, not well-versed in politics.

In Luo Dagang's view, Zeng Guofan's Xiang Army had only two best options at this time: either hide in Changsha to preserve the Xiang Army, or remain in southern Hunan to observe.

Taking the initiative to engage the Northern Palace forces would be the most unwise choice.

Luo Dagang had fought against the Xiangxiang Braves, the predecessor of the Xiang Braves, and knew some of their background.

To be fair, among the militia groups that Luo Dagang had fought against, the Xiangxiang Warriors were second only to Jiang Zhongyuan's Chu Warriors in combat strength, making them a relatively powerful militia group.

Of course, the strength of the Xiangxiang Warriors is relative to other militia groups, and they do not yet have the ability to contend with the Northern Palace.

Although Zeng Guofan, Luo Zenan, and others spent more than half a year training the Hunan Army in southern Hunan, the Hunan Army did indeed accumulate some combat experience during this period.

However, the Hunan Army's whetstone was the loosely organized mob of anti-Qing secret societies in southern Hunan. Using such an opponent as a whetstone, even if the Hunan Army's strength improved, the improvement would not be significant.

"It's just his master's order." Peng Gang looked at Chen Miao below him and instructed him, "Chen Miao, prepare for battle!"

The Hunan Army marched forward with great fanfare and fanfare, as if they wanted the whole world to know. Rather than a military adventure, it was more like a political show.

Since it's just an armed parade for show, the Hunan Army's fighting spirit won't be very high.

“Your Highness, I will command this battle.” Luo Dagang stepped forward and volunteered, “I am also an old rival of the Xiangxiang Warriors.”

"Granted." Peng Gang nodded in agreement. "Kill as many Hunan soldiers as possible."

"Yes, sir!" Luo Dagang accepted the order and retreated, quickly heading to the camp to reorganize the troops and prepare for battle.

The Xiang Army's navy and land forces sailed down the Xiang River in a grand procession toward Jinggang.

Zeng Guofan stood at the bow of a fast crab boat, his face as solemn as a mountain. His brothers Zeng Guoquan and Zeng Guohua followed closely by his sides, while the naval commander Peng Yulin directed the fleet from the front.

Aside from miscellaneous civilian ships and troop transport ships, the Xiang Army's standard warships mainly consisted of three types. One type was a rowing sailing ship called the "Fast Crab Ship," with each ship having a crew of forty-five, including twenty-eight rowers, eight oarsmen, one cabin manager, one foreman, one helmsman, and six gunners.

Because of their large size, high passenger capacity, and formidable firepower, the fast crab boats served as command ships for naval officers and even higher-ranking Hunanese generals.

The second type is the long dragon boat, each with a crew of twenty-four, including sixteen oarsmen, four rowers, one foreman, one helmsman, and two gunners. This boat is named for the rectangular dragon flag that it flies, which is twelve feet long.

The long dragon boats occasionally served as the command ships of the Xiang Army's navy.

The third type is sampan, each with fourteen people: ten oarsmen, one foreman, one helmsman, and two gunners.

The sampan used for supervising the battle was slightly larger, with six additional oarsmen, bringing the total number of people on board to twenty.

The standard ships of the Xiang Army Navy were all newly built or modified by Zeng Guofan at the shipyard he established in Xiangtan.

Because the Xiangtan Shipyard was newly established, the Xiang Army Navy did not possess many standard warships, only five fast crab boats, eight long dragon boats, and a total of only about 180 sampans. The rest were various types of civilian vessels.

Zeng Guofan's intention in advancing his troops this time was very clear: to march north in an offensive posture and to make a show of fighting.

If they could manage to force back the small contingent of troops from the Northern Palace, that would be ideal. Even if they couldn't, they should at least fight "fiercely" and then retreat "unable to defeat" to prove to the court and the Hunan officials that the Hunanese soldiers had done their best and were not afraid to fight, thus relieving the political pressure.

As soon as the Xiangyong fleet entered the waters near Jinggang and before they could even deploy, a terrifying sight appeared on the river ahead: five enormous ships belching black smoke, along with more than 180 warships, were already waiting in ambush on the Xiang River.

On the lead steamship, Luo Dagang stood on the command deck, looking down at the Xiangyong fleet with narrowed eyes, like an experienced hunter scrutinizing his prey. The Xiangyong fleet had a variety of ships, and the crew was skilled at handling them, but their formation was loose. The Xiangyong fleet seemed large, but in reality, it was all show and no substance and had not yet become a force to be reckoned with.

Through his telescope, Peng Yulin could clearly see that the huge cannons on the sides of the five steamships were gleaming and pointing directly at the Xiangyong fleet. The cannons on the sides of the steamships looked to be heavy cannons weighing at least a thousand catties.

Peng Yulin was horrified and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Form ranks! Prepare to meet the enemy!"

Terrified by the strange ship that spewed black smoke and roared, the Xiang Army sailors frantically maneuvered their vessels, trying to form a defensive formation.

But the Northern Navy didn't give the Hunanese troops any time to calmly set up their formation. Luo Dagang, standing on the command deck of the Jiangxia, suddenly waved his command flag: "Let these Hunanese militiamen see what real naval warfare is like! Five steamships, fire!"

As soon as Luo Dagang waved his command flag, the captains of the five steamships, having received the order, calmly directed their gunners to aim at the large ships of the Xiang Army Navy and fire.

In an instant, more than seventy naval guns weighing over twelve pounds roared, and more than a dozen Hunan warships a mile away were instantly engulfed by fierce firepower. Wood chips flew everywhere, screams rang out, and six ships sank in an instant, including a long dragon boat.

Even Zeng Guofan's command ship was hit by three bullets, and two of Zeng Guofan's personal guards were killed instantly by artillery fire.

The Hunan Army was formed late, and the Hunan Navy was formed even later. Before that, the Hunan Navy had only fought against sporadic bandits in the southern Hunan region.

However, the scattered bandits in southern Hunan were poorly equipped, with even guns and cannons being rare. The Hunan Navy had never fought a naval battle of such intensity, let alone had any experience in artillery warfare.

Faced with the fierce bombardment of more than seventy cannons from the Beidian Navy, the Xiangyong Navy immediately fell into chaos.

Luo Dagang seized the opportunity, waving his command flag left and right, then suddenly swung it forward: "Attack from both flanks! Crush them to pieces!"

In an instant, the warships of the Northern Palace, whether they were improved long dragons, fast crabs, sampans of various sizes captured from the Qing army, or various kinds of oar-powered sailing ships that were either self-made or converted from civilian ships, all rushed towards the Xiang Army fleet like hungry tigers pouncing on sheep, firing their guns and cannons.

The ships on the left and right wings of the Northern Palace Navy billowed their sails and rowed their oars, like two giant iron pincers, fiercely plunging into the flanks of the Xiangyong fleet.

Before long, the two sides were engaged in boarding action.

The naval officers and soldiers of the Sixth Regiment, with steel knives in their mouths and grappling hooks thrown out, forcibly climbed onto the Hunanese ships and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Hunanese. These battle-hardened naval officers and soldiers of the Sixth Regiment were experienced in combat and coordinated perfectly. Often, in groups of three to five, they could kill Hunanese soldiers who outnumbered them two or three times over.

Swords clashed and blood flew across the Xiang River. The screams of the Xiang soldiers echoed as they were either hacked to death, surrendered on their knees, or jumped into the water to escape. It was a one-sided massacre.

Ship after ship of the Xiang Army Navy was captured by the 6th Regiment of the Xiang Army Navy.

Zeng Guofan, on the main ship at the rear, watched with eyes wide with rage but was helpless. Seeing the situation was dire, Zeng Guofan urgently ordered, "Retreat! Retreat quickly! Retreat!"

However, once defeat is inevitable, even retreat becomes a pipe dream.

The Xiangyong boats scrambled to turn around, colliding with each other and creating even more chaos.

The Northern Palace's naval warships seized the opportunity to pursue and kill, unleashing a barrage of bullets from cannons and muskets.

One after another, the Xiang soldiers were swept away, either dying on the boats or falling into the Xiang River.

In the midst of this extreme chaos, a 32-pounder gun on the side of the Jiangxia steamship opened fire. A 32-pounder shot through the air, drawing an arc in mid-air, and accurately hit Zeng Guohua, who had just boarded a small boat and was fleeing to the shore.

boom! ! !
With a loud bang, the small boat that Zeng Guohua was on was almost blown in half.

Zeng Guofan watched helplessly as the small boat, just over twenty paces away, disintegrated in a violent explosion, with wood chips and human remains mixed with blood raining down everywhere!

He didn't even get a clear look at his brother's last figure. Zeng Guohua didn't even leave behind a complete body. His mutilated corpse was mixed in with the other Xiang soldiers' bodies floating on the Xiang River.

"Guohua!!!"

Zeng Guofan let out a heart-wrenching cry of grief, and everything went black before his eyes. The immense sorrow and horror struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

He felt dizzy and his blood rushed to his head. He stumbled and lost his footing from the swaying bow of the boat, plunging straight into the Xiang River!
"Lord Zeng!"

"Big brother!"

When Zeng Guofan fell into the water, his personal guards and Zeng Guoquan cried out in alarm and anxiety.

The surging waters of the Xiang River instantly submerged Zeng Guofan. His wide robes became incredibly heavy after absorbing the water. Zeng Guofan struggled and thrashed about in the river, choking on several mouthfuls of water, but he didn't care.

At the critical moment, Yang Zaifu reacted swiftly, threw off his uniform, roared, and plunged into the Xiang River. He swam with all his might to Zeng Guofan's side, grabbed the sinking Zeng Guofan, and with the help of Zeng Guoquan and other personal guards, desperately dragged Zeng Guofan onto a nearby sampan that was not completely damaged.

Zeng Guofan lay sprawled on the deck, soaked to the bone, his official hat missing, his face as pale as paper, coughing incessantly and spitting out murky river water—a veritable drowned dog.

A distraught Zeng Guofan stared blankly at the warships of the Northern Palace still wreaking havoc on the river, at the corpses of the Xiang Army soldiers and the wreckage of the ships floating on the water, and especially at the thought that his younger brother Zeng Guohua's body had not even been found intact. Overwhelmed with grief, shame, and helplessness, he almost fainted.

Under the desperate protection of Yang Zaifu, Zeng Guoquan and others, the remaining Xiang Army fleet fled in disarray ashore, and both the naval and land forces were now reduced to land forces.

The Northern Army, which had been lying in ambush on both banks of the Xiang River for some time, launched a surprise attack on the fleeing remnants of the Xiang Army.

At this point, the remaining scholar-officials and squad leaders of the Xiang Army had no intention of rallying the defeated soldiers and organizing resistance.
He only regretted that his parents hadn't given him two more legs, so he abandoned his weapons, took off his uniform, and ran south for his life.

In this battle, the soldiers of the Northern Palace captured more than 300 ships of various sizes belonging to the Hunan Army, killed more than 800 Hunan Army soldiers, and captured more than 2,600.

Zeng Guofan and Luo Zenan plundered the wealth of the people of Hunan and painstakingly trained the Hunan Army in the southern Hunan region for more than half a year, but lost more than half of them in one battle.

In particular, the Xiang Army Navy, which had painstakingly gathered more than 300 ships of various types, was completely captured by the Beidian Army. Not only that, the naval commander Peng Yulin was also captured by the naval officers and soldiers of the Sixth Regiment in the chaos.

After this battle, it will probably take the Xiang Army a year or two to recover, especially the navy. Not only did they lose men and ships, but their naval commander was also captured.

The only drawback was that the old camp of the Hunan Army was still in southern Hunan and did not participate in the battle.

However, this was within Peng Gang's expectations. Zeng Guofan's trip north was a political show, and it would be strange if he had staked all his wealth on it.

In less than two months, the Chu army and Zhengan soldiers in Yuezhou camp were completely wiped out, and the Xiang Army lost more than half of its strength.

The people of Changsha were in a state of panic, thinking that the short-haired rebels were about to attack Changsha again.

Luo Bingzhang and Zhang Liangji quickly declared martial law, closed the city gates, patrolled day and night, and organized and mobilized the local militia of Changsha to assist in the defense of the city in preparation for the attack by the short-haired army.

However, Peng Gang had no intention of attacking Changsha this time. Instead, he sent troops to capture Yuelu Mountain and Shuiluzhou, as well as the west bank of the Xiang River, and set up camp there to monitor the Qing army in Changsha for a long time.

Because it is currently the flood season of the Xiangjiang River, some low-lying areas of Shuiluzhou are flooded, making it impossible to station a large number of troops. Peng Gang could only send a battalion of naval soldiers to Shuiluzhou by light boats and speedboats to take control of the island.

Peng Gang, returning to his familiar place, climbed the familiar Yuelu Mountain and arrived at the familiar Yuelu Academy, gazing at the city of Changsha from its height.

Through the telescope, Peng Gang could clearly see the Qing army's guards on the western wall of Changsha, their figures mingling with hastily organized local militia, patrolling day and night.

Logs and stones were continuously transported up the city wall, and cannons were cleaned and aimed at the direction from which an attack might come from.

In the city's streets and alleys, which Peng Gang could not see very clearly, soldiers could be seen moving about from time to time, maintaining order within the city.

The entire city of Changsha, like a frightened hedgehog, curled up, its quills raised, nervously awaiting the attack of Peng Gang, the hunter.

However, the scene that the soldiers and civilians of Changsha had anticipated—a swarm of short-haired thugs covering the sky and rushing straight to the city of Changsha—did not immediately occur.

Luo Bingzhang, Zhang Liangji, Zeng Guofan, and many other anxious officials could see from afar that the military tents of the Short-haired Army were springing up like mushrooms after rain on the west bank of the Xiang River, and that fortifications were being built at an astonishing speed.

What worried them even more was that the short-haired man had also landed on the island in the middle of the river.

For the first day or two, everyone in Changsha was on tenterhooks, thinking this was the short-haired army's final preparation before attacking the city.

Five days passed, and apart from reinforcing their camps, repairing and expanding the docks, and patrolling and guarding, the short-haired army on the opposite bank showed no signs of launching an attack on Changsha City on the east bank.

The short-haired Mao did not build pontoon bridges or assemble large numbers of ships to cross the sea to the east; they only occasionally launched probing attacks and reconnaissance against Changsha.

This unusual sign finally gave Luo Bingzhang and others, who had been observing for many days, a slight sense of relief.

"It seems that Peng's move is intended to intimidate Changsha, rather than to attack the city immediately."

Luo Bingzhang put down his telescope and let out a long sigh of relief. The anxiety of not sleeping for several days had left this 59-year-old man almost exhausted.

Zhang Liangji wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his face regaining some color, and replied, "Judging from Peng's deployment, occupying the west bank, controlling the island head, and establishing the Jian Camp, he intends to maintain long-term surveillance over Changsha. Currently, it is the flood season, and it is difficult to station a large army on the water and land islands. The main force of his land forces is all on the west bank, so the short-term Maoist forces certainly do not have the strength to launch a strong attack in the short term."

With a haggard face, Zeng Guofan, supported by Zeng Guoquan and Yang Zaifu, arrived at the top of the western wall of Changsha. Looking at the orderly and heavily fortified Taiping Army camp on the opposite bank, and the Northern Palace sailors wedged into the heart of the Xiang River like nails on the riverbank, he frowned and said, "Peng's military tactics are profoundly skillful in understanding the principles of terrain and strategic constraints. He doesn't compete with us for the advantages or disadvantages of a single city or piece of land, but instead occupies the key points, using stillness to control movement, thus binding tens of thousands of my troops in Changsha, unable to move. This strategy is even more ruthless and sophisticated than a direct attack on the city."

Although they judged that Peng Gang had no intention of attacking the city for the time being, none of the people inside the city, including Luo Bingzhang and Zhang Liangji, dared to truly relax.

“Even so, martial law must not be abolished! Patrols must be strengthened!” said Jiang Zhongyuan, the prefect of Yuezhou, who was not in charge of Yuezhou Prefecture. “Peng is cunning. How can we know that this is not a trick to deceive the enemy? Once our army relaxes its guard, Peng will take advantage of the situation and launch a sudden attack. Then it will be too late to regret it.”

“Minqiao’s words make sense, and this is exactly what I’m worried about.” Luo Bingzhang nodded in deep agreement. “The bandits are close at hand, and the crisis is not over yet. The people and soldiers of Changsha must unite as one and defend the city to ensure its safety.”

(End of this chapter)